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Make it better or shut it down – Keeping your focus
I am a big fan of Jason Fried of 37Signals. I think what they have accomplished is not only amazing but sets a model for others to pursue. Recently Jason wrote a post for Inc. Magazine titled “Walking...
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Naming your product
Business Plan Template – Product Box Shot (Photo credit: IvanWalsh.com) Many of my clients are creating a new product. Some of these clients are brand new companies and others are existing service...
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Negotiations in business – practice, practice, practice
Customers talking to a Relationship Manager during the Edelmetallmesse (Photo credit: GoldMoneyNews) Doing business is a series of negotiations. From the moment you plan to start a business to...
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What is an angel investor?
English: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters located at 100 F Street, NE in the Near Northeast neighborhood of Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Following the launch of...
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Let go or be dragged
English: Stunt show at Texas Hollywood, Almeria (Photo credit: Wikipedia) So the other day I was getting ready for yoga class when one of my classmates told us about something she saw on Facebook....
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How do I tell you…?
Dear Small Business Owner, How do I tell you? How do I tell you that the tops of all the napkin holders in your restaurant are covered in dried, crusted food? How do I tell you that your email is...
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The business sayings of my father
I grew up the son of an entrepreneur. My father was Bill Colwell. For anyone who was in Waterloo, Iowa in the early 70s you could not miss him. He ran TV commercials on channel 7 every night for...
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Do not compete on price, unless…
There was an interesting article about a new start-up company called AutoSlash in the New York Times this past weekend. AutoSlash says they will get you the best price on a car rental by constantly...
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What can we learn from the Komen Foundation polarization
Twitter 6×6 (Photo credit: Steve Woolf) In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding the Susan B. Komen foundation decision and the reversal of the same decision, perhaps the best thing we can all...
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You get what you measure for
Illustration of a vernier caliper (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I was taught that saying many years ago. You get what you measure for. If you measure only for profit, you may have fewer but profitable...
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What your business culture says about your business
Ok, restaurants again. As you can tell, I eat out – alot. I was at the local Applebees in Ankeny the other evening. It is a favorite place of mine. The food is good but not the reason I go there. I...
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New owners are at a disadvantage…don’t make it worse
It is truly a disadvantage to be a new business owner. To start with, you are an unknown to most potential customers. You probably do not have a long list of referral accounts or a line of customers...
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“Let’s deal with it later…” No, let’s not.
A guy comes up with a business idea. It is a pretty good idea. He starts working on it. The idea takes hold. Others start encouraging him. Customers begin to say a tentative “yes” to his offer. The...
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What failure can teach you.
Image by RodBegbie via Flickr At the Technology Association of Iowa’s Pitch and Grow 5 gathering last week, I participated in a panel discussion on failure. Any successful entrepreneur will tell you...
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Make the customer’s life easier. Tell them the price!
Price gets in the way of doing business. For those who have sold for a living, you could probably each write a book about getting around the price issue. Yet for most businesses this is a...
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1% of 4% of 7 Billion. Who’s in your market?
Big markets attract a lot of attention. After all, with that many potential customers you can see a path to huge revenues. The challenge is getting heard by that big market. On the flip side, a small...
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What would you tell your best friend?
From time to time, many of my clients come to me with a difficult decision they need to make. They have thought through all sides of the decision and are struggling with what to do. They ask my...
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Too much on your plate?
We all have a lot on our plates these days. Everyone I talk to responds “Busy!” to the question, “How are you?” It is a good sign that people are busy. The economy is improving. Business is picking...
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Negotiations in Business, Practice, Practice, Practice
Customers talking to a Relationship Manager during the Edelmetallmesse (Photo credit: GoldMoneyNews) Customers talking to a Relationship Manager during the Edelmetallmesse (Photo credit:...
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Hiring about to get hard again
Image via Wikipedia For many, the economy has started to turn around. Sales are growing and businesses are starting to hire again. What many may not have considered is how difficult it will be to hire...
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